Courts / Ireland / Report

Migrant chef who borrowed money to come to Ireland had wages 'thrown on the floor', WRC told

Summary

A migrant chef, Jinxiu Zheng, who had borrowed money to work in Ireland, claimed he was subjected to humiliating and degrading treatment by restaurant operator Ming Feng Ltd. He said he was promised €15.78 an hour for a 39‑hour week but received only €300 in cash for 50‑60 hours of work, with minimal breaks. Zheng alleged that his employer questioned whether tax was paid on his behalf and threatened to cancel his work permit if he raised concerns. He also claimed he was forced to sign a resignation letter and that his last week's wages were thrown on the floor. The Workplace Relations Commission found discrimination on race grounds and harassment, awarding Zheng €15,000 for discrimination, €10,000 for harassment, €1,525 for minimum wage arrears, €250 for underpayment, and €1,800 for excessive hours and other breaches, totaling €28,275. The company denied the allegations and did not appear at the hearing.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Migrant chef who borrowed money to come to Ireland had wages 'thrown on the floor', WRC told. Procedural stage: hearing_or_decision

When:

• July 2022 Incident
• January 2023 Incident
• 14 February Other
• 2024-01-08 Publication

Why: He also awarded €250 under the Payment of Wages Act for an underpayment during the last ten days of Mr Zheng's employment, which was the only period for which Mr Zheng could recover because of the six-month time limit on a claim under that legislation. CNI source report

Topics

Stage Hearing Or Decision

Read the original CNI report